It's About Liberty: A Conservative Forum

Topics => TEOTWAWKI => Topic started by: Maddy on October 25, 2013, 12:27:48 PM

Title: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 25, 2013, 12:27:48 PM
Ran across this site the other day on Pinterest - great site w/ some great tips. I like this article in particular: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks. http://howtosurviveit.com/survival-prepping-hacks/ (http://howtosurviveit.com/survival-prepping-hacks/)

I love the battery tip especially. Who knew?

(http://howtosurviveit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/aaa-batteries.jpg)

Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Pandora on October 25, 2013, 12:44:32 PM
Good one on the batteries!

I like this one, too ...

(http://howtosurviveit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/headlamp-jug.jpg)

"... turn your headlamp inward, facing a 5–gallon jug of water. Between the translucency of the plastic and refraction of the water, light gets bounced all over the place, creating an area light similar to a lantern, rather than a focused beam like a flashlight."
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 25, 2013, 12:47:18 PM
Yep. Genius - yet so simple!
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Pandora on October 25, 2013, 12:52:59 PM
How to open a can without a can opener (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbxKbI9Ik4o#ws)

Open a can with no can opener.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 25, 2013, 12:57:04 PM
Very cool!
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: LadyVirginia on October 25, 2013, 01:35:13 PM
like that
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: RickZ on October 25, 2013, 01:52:52 PM
This one got me.  Sheer genius.  Or necessity.

(http://howtosurviveit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/toilet-paper.jpg)
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Glock32 on October 25, 2013, 02:15:59 PM
Great stuff!  Thanks for posting.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 25, 2013, 05:32:06 PM
You bet!

Rick Z - I love the TP idea too. You're avatar is better though.  ::thumbsup::
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: IronDioPriest on October 25, 2013, 05:52:41 PM
There's some gems in there. Some more practical than others. Some less "survival" than others. For instance, making a boat our of plastic bottles. That's a novelty more than anything else.

Pretty cool stuff.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 26, 2013, 11:20:15 AM
Yep, definitely. The boat thing is a bit much.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: LadyVirginia on October 26, 2013, 11:23:25 AM
I like the fish hooks out of the pop tops.  Not that I'd have those laying around (we don't drink much canned soda) but it's the kind of thing that would get me to thinking.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 26, 2013, 11:41:41 AM
Yep - the pop tops idea is great. I also find the idea of burning Doritos pretty interesting as well as the Crisco idea.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: IronDioPriest on October 26, 2013, 11:53:52 AM
Yeah, the Crisco candle is a good one, and seems like it would work.

I'd need to see the pop-top fishhooks in action before I'd believe their efficacy. A finely machine-honed fishhook doesn't guarantee a hookset, and even slightly dulled, your odds of penetration go way down.

I just don't see a way in a dire-straits scenario to cut a pop-top and sharpen it to the degree necessary to be an effective tool that would provide any measure of success.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 26, 2013, 12:02:55 PM
I agree. My husband fishes a lot (I fish also but not as much as him) and I just can't picture it being effective. Like you, I'd have to see it in action. The comments at the end are pretty interesting as well.

Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: LadyVirginia on October 26, 2013, 12:10:28 PM
I thought it was questionable that it was enough of a hook but liked that it got me to thinking. The spices in the tic tac boxes I thought was kind of silly.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: RickZ on October 26, 2013, 12:18:39 PM
My one question regarding the Crisco candle is how do you stuff the wick straight through the center to the bottom of the can?
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: IronDioPriest on October 26, 2013, 12:19:30 PM
I thought it was questionable that it was enough of a hook but liked that it got me to thinking. The spices in the tic tac boxes I thought was kind of silly.

Right. Only makes sense if you're using bulk, and if you want a spice container for bulk, buy one round in the ready made shaker, and use that to refill.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: IronDioPriest on October 26, 2013, 12:25:48 PM
My one question regarding the Crisco candle is how do you stuff the wick straight through the center to the bottom of the can?

I wonder if you soaked it in wax a couple times if that would give it enough tension.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 26, 2013, 12:33:11 PM
My one question regarding the Crisco candle is how do you stuff the wick straight through the center to the bottom of the can?

I wonder if you soaked it in wax a couple times if that would give it enough tension.

Maybe first poke the center with a soda straw (or even a stick would probably do) and then put the wick in?
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 26, 2013, 12:36:36 PM
I thought it was questionable that it was enough of a hook but liked that it got me to thinking. The spices in the tic tac boxes I thought was kind of silly.

My Dad grows and dries his own herbs and gives them out at Christmas time in his leftover prescription bottles that he accumulates over the year. He just takes off the script sticker and replaces it with a regular label. Works like a champ - and holds a heckuva lot more than tiny tic-tac bottles.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: LadyVirginia on October 26, 2013, 12:45:01 PM
Although it would be messy I would probably just scoop out the center then hold the wick in the center as I added back the grease. Might be easier if a 2nd person was holding the wick as I spooned the grease back in.

Or stick a knife down the center and make a tunnel, drop the wick in and then use the knife to push grease back into the tunnel.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Alphabet Soup on October 26, 2013, 09:03:46 PM
I thought it was questionable that it was enough of a hook but liked that it got me to thinking. The spices in the tic tac boxes I thought was kind of silly.

I did too. On the other hand, I found a brand of (dry) kittie food that comes in a plastic container with a lid large enough to allow me to refill them with charcoal briquettes. They can be tossed in the river without getting damp, which means last years charcoal is as fresh as last weeks.

Easy (clean!) to transport and dole out too ;')
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Pandora on October 26, 2013, 09:53:27 PM
Does Crisco float in water?
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Maddy on October 27, 2013, 11:47:37 AM
Alphabet Soup - yep, I know what you mean. We have some Milk Bone containers that we usually use as camping kits. Great for keeping stuff dry and just big enough to be able to store a good amt of whatever you need to keep dry.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: John Florida on October 27, 2013, 06:10:11 PM
  I use juice bottles(plastic) and ice tea gallon jugs to store rice in and it works real well for me so far.I started hanging on to the moisture absorbers that come in Asperin bottles and the like to add to the rice.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: benb61 on November 20, 2013, 07:01:29 PM
My one question regarding the Crisco candle is how do you stuff the wick straight through the center to the bottom of the can?

I wonder if you soaked it in wax a couple times if that would give it enough tension.

Maybe first poke the center with a soda straw (or even a stick would probably do) and then put the wick in?

Find a stick about 14 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter, cut a notch in 1 end and tie a knot in one end of your "wick".  Stick the knotted end of the wick in the notch and string the wick up the length of the stick, then push the stick to the bottom of the crisco.  when you pull the stick out the wick will stay in the crisco.  viola
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: ChrstnHsbndFthr on November 20, 2013, 11:41:45 PM
My one question regarding the Crisco candle is how do you stuff the wick straight through the center to the bottom of the can?

I wonder if you soaked it in wax a couple times if that would give it enough tension.

Maybe first poke the center with a soda straw (or even a stick would probably do) and then put the wick in?

Find a stick about 14 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter, cut a notch in 1 end and tie a knot in one end of your "wick".  Stick the knotted end of the wick in the notch and string the wick up the length of the stick, then push the stick to the bottom of the crisco.  when you pull the stick out the wick will stay in the crisco.  viola

Sounds good, but I am more of a cello fan..... ::unknowncomic::
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: KittenClaws on November 21, 2013, 11:16:15 AM
The Water bottle lantern made me think of this.

These are being used in poor countries to lighten up their hovels.  I thought it was pretty interesting. Water bottles, a bit of bleach to prevent bacteria build-up and you've got lights!  Useless at night, but all in all a decent idea.

(http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt135/kitten007/Solar-Water-Bottle-Bulbs-e1352983653517_zpsa9bb5031.jpg)
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: Pandora on November 21, 2013, 12:55:49 PM
I've seen a piece on that elsewhere.  Lots of folks who have incorporated them in their dwellings have no windows, so the places are that dark even during the day without electricity, which is scarce and expensive.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: John Florida on November 21, 2013, 06:29:52 PM
I've seen a piece on that elsewhere.  Lots of folks who have incorporated them in their dwellings have no windows, so the places are that dark even during the day without electricity, which is scarce and expensive.

 Solar powered lawn lights brought inside at night would go a long way to light it up at night and then toss them out in the sun during the day. Cheap and effective.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: AlanS on November 22, 2013, 01:11:32 AM
I've seen a piece on that elsewhere.  Lots of folks who have incorporated them in their dwellings have no windows, so the places are that dark even during the day without electricity, which is scarce and expensive.

 Solar powered lawn lights brought inside at night would go a long way to light it up at night and then toss them out in the sun during the day. Cheap and effective.

Also very short life span. The ones my wife and her sister used lasted from less than a year to 2 yrs max.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: John Florida on November 22, 2013, 03:45:21 PM
I've seen a piece on that elsewhere.  Lots of folks who have incorporated them in their dwellings have no windows, so the places are that dark even during the day without electricity, which is scarce and expensive.

 Solar powered lawn lights brought inside at night would go a long way to light it up at night and then toss them out in the sun during the day. Cheap and effective.

Also very short life span. The ones my wife and her sister used lasted from less than a year to 2 yrs max.


  http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200422026_200422026 (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200422026_200422026)

how about this.
Title: Re: 37 Awesome Survival/Prepping Hacks
Post by: AlanS on November 22, 2013, 05:42:12 PM
I've seen a piece on that elsewhere.  Lots of folks who have incorporated them in their dwellings have no windows, so the places are that dark even during the day without electricity, which is scarce and expensive.

 Solar powered lawn lights brought inside at night would go a long way to light it up at night and then toss them out in the sun during the day. Cheap and effective.

Also very short life span. The ones my wife and her sister used lasted from less than a year to 2 yrs max.


  http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200422026_200422026 (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200422026_200422026)

how about this.

Looks like good reviews.

And for dry storage, we have peanut butter jars. A bunch. Or course we have teen-age boys who almost live on peanut butter.